Pigs in Blankets

Lost Finale: Black Smoke Salad & Black Cosmopolitan

Keeping on with the Lost themed dinner, I present you with a black smoke salad and a black cosmopolitan. Now lets get fancy. Today's dinner will consist of a tepid lobster salad with mango, vanilla oil dressing, assorted greens and dwarf pansies.

Black Smoke Salad

Assorted cherry tomatoes
1 pouch cuttlefish ink
Juice of one lemon
Assorted greens
4 1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 lobsters
1 mango
Pansies

Instructions

Boil water over high heat and add salt. When the water starts to bubble violently, add the lobsters. Cook for ten minutes and let cool in the boiling water. Once cooled, remove meat from the shells and reserve.

Soak assorted greens in very cold water and reserve. Peel and dice mango, drizzle with lemon juice, cover and reserve. Collect the mango scraps and place in a bowl and reserve (don't eat them just yet!)

Vanilla Oil

1 vanilla bean
1 cup olive oil

Instructions

Open vanilla bean, scrape it and place it in the oil. Heat it over medium heat for five minutes. Place in a glass jar and reserve for a couple days in a dark place.

Dressing

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons vanilla oil
1 tablespoon honey
Mango scraps

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a container and puree with an immersion blender. Cover with film and reserve.

Presentation

Place assorted greens on a plate and decorate with pansies. Drizzle with dressing. Place diced mango and cherry tomatoes. With a brush decorate the plate with cuttlefish the ink to create the black smoke.

Black Cosmopolitan

1/3 cupcranberry juice
2/3 cup black vodka
1 splash lime juice
1 dash Cointreau

Instructions

Mix cranberry juice, cointreau and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Strain and pour into a martini glass. Slowly pour the black vodka on top to create two different phases. Make some extra cosmos in case you need them to get though life without Lost, or to drown your pain if your favorite character dies. I'm making a couple more just in case they decide to kill Sawyer (God forbid).